Even, dare one say it - and as this still from the new drama shows - a touchy, feely kind of guy.

The Crown Featurette

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The Crown, the 10-part Netflix drama about the life of the young Queen, will show the Duke in his happy heyday, as a loving father and “progressive” husband.

The first episodes of The Crown will show the Duke - played by Matt Smith, the former Dr Who actor - ruffling the hair of the young Prince Charles, calling him “darling” and protesting that the Duke and the Queen should not leave him on his own to travel when he is young.

Prince Charles and Princess Anne as children with their parentsCredit:
OFF / AFP / Getty

Suzanne Mackie, the producer, said she would love for the public to see the Duke beyond the “stereotypes”, with “wit, charisma and presence” behind closed doors as he looked after his young children.

Mackie said a change in the public’s perception of the Duke “really really would please me”, admitting she was thrilled that the scripts of Peter Morgan avoided the easy stereotypes of the Duke’s “inappropriate, gauche comments” he has become known for in later life.

Prince Philip's character may be "surprising" to viewersCredit:
Netflix

When asked about the young Prince Philip seen on screen during The Crown and the way the public sees him now, Mackie said: “That was the very first thing I was struck by when I read the first drafts of the script.

“It’s changed hugely since then but the one thing that hasn’t change is how surprising Philip is as a character.

“How incredibly, surprisingly vital, progressive, modernising, energetic; a real alpha-male. Someone who was allegedly very very good at more or less everything he turned his hand to. Really athletic, capable and clever.

“I think Philip is someone who is often misunderstood or we only see one dimension to him, And yet theirs is a marriage that has survived. They have stood next to each other for decades now.

“We’ve watched so many videos of him talking passionately talking about this cause or that cause.”

He was a great naval man, revered in the Navy; he was bright and witty, and a great father, actually – he was very much the one involved with the childrenMatt Smith

She added of the Royal family: “I’d love for them, if ever they watch this, to think I’m proud of what we’ve done for Philip. I really do feel that.”

The first episodes of the show will see the Queen and her new husband settling into married life in Malta, playing with a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne, and spending time in Kenya before the death of her father the King and summons back to duty in England.

In one scene, the Duke attempts to persuade the Queen to stay at home, worrying that the “darling” children will miss them.

In series two, which is currently being filmed, Mackie said The Crown would go on to explore the complex relationship between the Duke and his son, focusing on why he chose to send Prince Charles away to Gordonstoun.

The Prince of Wales has since disclosed the unhappiness he experienced at the boarding school, once telling a biographer he felt “emotionally estranged” from his parents and had longed for the sort of affection they were “unable or unwilling to offer”.

In 2004, the Duke was reported to have said: “Charles is a romantic - and I’m a pragmatist. That means we do see things differently. “And because I don’t see things as a romantic would, I’m unfeeling.”

Matt Smith said he was delighted to be offering an alternative vision of Prince Philip.

When asked about a “stiff-backed, impatient and unrepentantly tactless” version of the Duke known to the public, Smith said: “If you ask most people in Britain about Prince Philip, that’s what they think of.

“But I found that in his younger self there was such a lot to admire. He was a great naval man, revered in the Navy; he was bright and witty, and a great father, actually – he was very much the one involved with the children.”

Mackie said she hoped the portrayal of the family was “incredibly accurate about most things”, with an on-set etiquette expert who used to work for Buckingham Palace vetting their decisions.

The Royal Family at Balmoral in 1952Credit:
Lisa Sheridan /Getty

The Palace itself had no influence, she added, with filmmakers considering it “very important for us to have distance from them, and them to have distance from us”.

The show is reported to have been made for Netflix for a budget of £100m for two ten-hour series, with the US-based streaming service outbidding the BBC.

Mackie said: “We wrestled with it. In many ways we wanted a British broadcaster involved, passionately.

“I think we did feel a responsibility telling something so British, so much part of our history, to be telling it on British television.

“[But] The offer - and I really don’t mean financially but the scale and the scope and how groundbreaking that new world of digital television is - just suddenly felt absolutely right for us at that moment.

“Netflix said we will let you get on with it, we will trust you. They’ve been true to their word. They haven’t drowned us with notes and hesitation and worry.”

The Crown, written by Peter Morgan and directed by Stephen Daldry, will be available on Netflix from November 4.